A series of essays about how Texas buildings are put together, where their methods came from, gates & fences, holding water, and restoration & preservation.

An amazing book which gave me a better idea of literally how Texas “felt” than almost anything else I read.

Plenty of b&w photos and line drawings.

ISBN 1-57441-092-X

Andrews, Michael

Photography by
Paul Hester and
Lisa Hardaway

Historic Texas Courthouses

A beautiful book that pays full tribute to Texas’s gorgeous courthouses. It gave me a lot of ideas for Valencia’s courthouse.

ISBN 978-1-931721-74-5

Beard, Tyler

Photographs by
Jack Parsons

Lone Star Living: Texas Homes and Ranches

Glorious photographs of beautiful houses, owned by people with lots of style who aren’t always stinking rich. Very inspirational.

ISBN 0-8212-2820-X

Chipman, Donald E.

Spanish Texas 1519-1821

The book which told me how deeply Don Rafael was involved with Texas under the Spanish crown. It also discusses modern legacies of Spanish Texas.

ISBN 0-292-77659-4

Cox, Paul W.
and Patty Leslie

Illustrations by
Gloria Merlo and
Sara Harrison

Texas Trees: A Friendly Guide

If you want to know anything about Texas trees, this book can tell you. B&W line drawings but no photos.

ISBN 0-931722-67-5

Dallas Morning News,
The

Texas Almanac, 62nd ed., 2004-2005

When I first started writing my Texas vampires, my reference librarian friend firmly told me that this book would answer most of my questions. She was so, so right.

This is the edition I started out with. If you’re interested in a copy, get the most recent edition.

ISBN 0-914511-35-1

Fehrenbach, T.R.

Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans, Updated Edition

The single volume history. The maps assume prior knowledge of Texas, though.

ISBN 0-306-80942-7

Graham, Gary L.

Texas Wildlife Viewing Guide

When writing historicals, I frequently start with wildlife guides. This book is one of the best, with lovely photos and solid viewing information.

ISBN 1-56044-092-9

Humphrey, David C. and
William W. Crawford, Jr.

Austin: An Illustrated History

A solid history with lots of illustrations.

ISBN 1-892724-23-5

Hutson, Jan

The Chicken Ranch: The True Story of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

In my opinion, this is a must-read for anybody reading or writing about Texas, simply as a cross-section of Texas humanity.

ISBN 0-595-12848-3

Hylton, Hilary
and Cam Rossie

Insiders’ Guide to Austin, Second Edition

Excellent guide to the city, including information about neighborhoods and restaurants. I used it frequently.

ISBN 1-57380-169-0

Lockwood, Mark W.

Foreword by
Terry Maxwell

Drawings by
Clemente Guzman III

Birds of the Texas Hill Country

When you’re writing books about birders, you need a book which makes birds come to life in a complicated countryside. I spent a lot of time with this book and it answered all my questions.

ISBN 0-292-74726-8

Pattie, Jane

Foreword by
Elmer Kelton

Introduction by
Cheri Wolfe

Cattle Brands: Ironclad Signatures

The 1st half is a brief history of Texas cattle brands, organized around the life of Leonard Stiles, who spent much of his life catching cattle thieves and collecting cattle brands.

The 2nd half describes the 1,096 brands he collected

A solid bibliography is also included.

If you want to know anything about cattle brands, this is the book. Brands varied by when they were developed, where they were placed on the animal, if they were supposed to be used on cattle and/or horses, which part of Texas they were used in, and other factors. Amazing.

ISBN 0-9709987-7-5

Price, Steve
and Cam Rossie

Texas Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: A Month by Month Guide to Natural Events

A guidebook designed to show where to find the best sights in each month.

ISBN 1-55591-272-9

Simons, Helen and
Cathryn A. Hoyt, ed.

Hispanic Texas: A Historical Guide

Organized into 2 parts, a series of essays and a guidebook, it provides a strong, uniquely Hispanic viewpoint on Texas.